Cooling apparatus for beverage dispensers



Oct' 21, 1941- G. o. HALL 2,259,852

CQQLING"'APPR'KTUS-FOB BEVERAGE DISPENSERS Filed Dec. lzfsasAv l l vINVENTOR w game/f 0. fafa/z Patented ct. 21', 17941 UNITED STATE sPATENT .OFFICE COOLING APPARATUS FOR BEVERAGE msPENsERs Gilbert O. Hall,Kansas City, Mo. Application December 12, 1938, VSerial No. 245,159

4 Claims. (CL 62)-33) This invention relates to a cooling apparatus forbeverage dispensers and more particularly to an apparatus of thatcharacter for'cooling beer on tap in metal kegs, wooden barrels or othersuitable containers as well as in the tap conduits leading from thecontainer to the tap or like faucet arranged eXteriorly of a bar orsimilar enclosure for the containers.

Beer is ordinarily received by a retailer upon delivery from a brewery,for example, at a temperature above the proper drinking temperature andif served immediately the beer is not as palatableas it should or couldbe. Furthermore, beer, when tapped from improperly serviced containers,is apt to be wild, flat, stale, warm, and/or sour.' The so-calledvmorning beer remaining over-night in the container tap conduits is alsoapt to have a poor head and must be wasted in order to draw properlyserviced beer suitable for serving.

The principal objects of the present invention are to provide anapparatus arranged to quickly cool containers and beer therein to properdrinking temperatures in such a manner as to avoid delay in rendering acontainer of beer servable in its most palatable form; lto service thebeer in the container tap conduits in such a manner as to overcome the/necessity for wasting the beer, normally contained therein; and toassure that every glass of beer served is palatable from a properlyserviced standpoint.

Other important objects of the present invention are to provide anapparatus of this character capable of incorporation into conventionalbeverage dispensing equipment; to provide for circulating 'arefrigerating medium over and about a container of beer and its tapconduit in heat transfer relation thereto; to provide `an. improvedcooling jacket for portions of the tap conduits normally exposed to hightemperatures relative to proper drinking temperatures; to pro-- vide anapparatus of this character which is simple and economical inconstruction, efficient in operation, and which 1s easily assembled anddisassembled in relation to a container of beer to the end that thesupply of beer may be readily replenishedand the tap conduits cleansedat will; to provide a novel circulation system in relation to the beercontainers and tap conduits therefor; 'and to provide improved elementsand is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Fig. lis a perspective view of a beverage service unit having anapparatus embodyingmy irivention applied thereto. I I

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through the service unit on the line 2 2,Fig. 1, particularly illustratingA the tap conduit cooling jacket andthe relation of the circulation system and beer container thereto.

Fig. 3 is adetail perspective view of a tap conduit having aA coolingjacket applied thereto, cooperative elements of the cooling jacket beingshown in disassembled spaced relation. y

Fig. 4 is a detail vertical cross-section through the tapk conduitcooling jacket particularly illustrating the manner in which it isappliedto a beverage service unit.

Referring more inV detail to the drawing:

l designates a beverage service unit having suitably insulatedcompartments 2A of a size adapted to receive therein beverage containers3 such as kegs or barrelsvof beer. The door openings of the compartmentsare preferably arranged above the floor thereof in such a manner that arefrigerating medium 4 may be housed in thecompartments in heat transferrelation to the lower ends of containers therein. The refrigeratingmedium, 4 may be water or the like which may be cooled by conventionalcoils (not shown) suitably arranged in the unit, or which may constitutemelted ice (not shown) locatedv in a'suitable place in the unit. The topwall' 5 of the service unit forms a bar or similar serving table and maybe of any suitable character.

Openings E are provided in the bar 5 of the unit for the passagetherethrough of conduits to tap the beer containers and deliver the beerto a suitable dispensing point on the bar. j

The conduits each preferably include a tap rod 'l adapted to oe insertedthrough the bar openings 6 from the top of the bar downwardly intoengagement with the usual plug (not shown) in the discharge opening ofthe head 8 ,of the container, the ,tap rod being of a length adapted toextend to a point in the container adjacent the bo-ttom 9 Vthereofsurrounded-by the refrigerating medium 4. The lower end of the tap rodis preferably screened as at lll, Fig. 3, and a vsuitablerdraft tting ilis provided on thetap rod to facilitate application and retention of thetap rod in sealed discharge relation to the container. As a matter ofpractice the draft fitting is also preferably provided with aconventional collar I3 having a tube I'connected therewith through whicha suitable fluid pressure medium may be applied to the interior of thecontainer to augment the contained effervescence of the beer in assuringdischarge of the beer through the tap rod to the valved tap faucet I onthe tap rod, the tap faucet being arranged exteriorly of the serviceunit in spaced relation to the bar for accommodating vessels into whichthe beer is to be dispensed.

Mounted 4on the tap rod 'I adjacent the faucet I5 is a cooling jacketI6, the upper closed end of which is sealed tothe rod by Welding or thelike, as at I1, Fig. 4. The jacket I6 extends downwardly into one of thebar openings 6 and preferably has a loose t therein so that the tap rodmay be readily withdrawn from the bar for cleansing or replacement.Sleeved within the jacket I6 in inwardly `spaced telescoping relationthereto and outwardly spaced covering relation to the tap rod 'I is acooling jacket I8 which is cooperative with the jacket I6. The jacket I8has an open upper end I9 and a constricted lower end 20 having a loose ton "the tap rod for allowing water or similar refrigerating medium topass downwardly in heat exchange relation over the portion of the taprod 'I between the cooling jackets I6 and I8 and head 8 of the beercontainer.

In order to maintain the cooling jackets in telescoping relation, theinner jacket YI8 is pref,- erably provided with a spider 2| fixed `tothe jacket adjacent its lower end and arrangedto be xed to the bottomface 22 of the-bar asby fastening devices v23 extending throughapertures in the bearing flange 24 of the spider. The spider is providedwith openings 25 therethrough to allow discharge of a circulatingrefrigerating medium from the channel 26 between the cooling jacketswhich extend both interiorly and exteriorly of the service unit and inheat transfer relation to the portion of the tap rod normally exposed toroom temperatures.

With the arrangement illustrated in Figs. `1

' and 2, it is also apparent that any refrigerating medium circulatedthrough the channel 26 drops upon the'head 8 of the container andultimately rises above the bead 2'I onfthe head of the container to passover onto the side walls of the container in a uniformly distributed lmcovering the entire surface of the container in conjunction with therefrigerating medium 4 to Yeffect heat transfer between the medium and.contents of the container to aid in quickly cooling the beer.

In order to carry out the circulation ofrefrigerating medium, the lowerend of the cooling jacket I8 is preferablywprovided with an inletconnection 28 having a conduit 29 attached thereto. The conduit .29passes to a pump 30 which is suitably energized by aprirne mover 3 Ipreferably mounted in and upon the sidewalls Aof the service unit. Theconduit 29 is ,provided -with an extension 32 extending furtherdownwardly to a point adjacent the bottom of the .service unit below thesurface of therefrigerating medium 4, where its open lower en d isscreened as at 33, Fig.`2.

In using an apparatus constructed sand arranged as described andassuming that a container of beer has been suitably placed in theservice unit compartment, the tap rod 'I is applied to the container inthe usual manner in discharge .relation thereto and uid pressure mediummay be applied to thecontainer through the conduit provided therefor.

Beer is then forced from the container through the tap rod where it isheld in check by the valved tap faucet to be drawn as needed.

When containers of beer are rst placed in the service unit compartmentsthe beer therein is usually warmer than the temperature at which thebeer is most palatable. The beer in the tap rod is also quickly warmedby room and like temperatures so that, if drawn, such beer is either notpalatable to the drinker or must be wasted in order to get to moreproperly serviced beer in the container.

Refrigerating medium having been placed in culate the refrigeratingmedium through the conduit -29 into the inner cooling jacket I8. Part ofthe refrigerating medium drips down through the constricted lower end 20of the jacket in heat `transfer relation to the tap rod to cool theportion thereof between the jacket and the head of the container. Theremainder of the refrigerating medium passes upwardly to and through thechannel 26 to the outer cooling jacket I6 from whence it passesdownwardly between the jackets through the openings in the jacketsupporting spider onto the head rof the container. The refrigeratingmedium quickly accumulates on the head of the container and soon passesover the bead thereof in a steady stream about the sides of thecontainer in heat transfer relation thereto to quickly and efficientlyaid in cooling the contents of the container.

The refrigerating medium is thus returned to its source and is availablefor recirculation through the system outlined to initially cool andmaintain in cooled condition beer or the like contained in a keg orbarrel and in the discharge tap conduits of such containers.

It is thus believed apparent that I have provided a cooling apparatushaving the desirable characteristics and advantages outlinedhereinabove.

While I have referred to my invention as a cooling apparatus forbeverage dispensers and have described theapparatus as employed incooling beer in containers and discharge conduits for the containers, itis apparent that beverages other than beer may be similarly cooledwithout departing from the spirit of the present invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters P atent is:

1. In combinationwith a tap rod for a beverage container, a coolingjacket having a clos'ed .upper end sealingly engaged with the rod and anopen lower end forming a channel, vand a cooling jacket arranged withinand in spaced relation vto .,sai d lrstnamed jacket and in surroundingrelation to the tap rod, said second named jacket having an open upperend and a constricted lower end, and meansfor applying refrigerant tothe secondnamed jacket.

2. In combination with a .tap rod for a beverage container, a coolingjacket having a closed upper .end Sealinsly engaged with the rod and an.open lower end, a cooling jacket arranged within andin spaced relationto said rst named jacket and in ysurrounding relation to the tap rond,said vsecond named jacket havingan open upper end and a constrictedlower end, a pump, an inlet connectionfor said second named jacketconnected with the pump, and a supply .of refrgerating mediumcommunicating with the Pump 3. In an apparatus of the characterdescribed, a beverage container, a conduit leading from the container todispense beverage therefrom, a cooling jacket mounted on and about theconduit having a closed upper and an open lower end, a housing for thecontainer, the conduit extending through a Wall of said housing, asecond jacket arranged within the rst named jacket in surroundingrelation to the conduit and opening into the first named jacket, and asupply of refrigerating medium communicating with said second namedjacket.

4. in an apparatus of the character described, a beverage container, aconduit leading from the container to dispense beverage therefrom, a 15

